How better to start off the new year than with The King's Speech? If you haven't seen it, you can believe all those rave reviews. Colin Firth has matured beautifully, and...oh, I don't want to be a spoiler. Has anyone else seen it?

It just got to Roanoke and is playing at what passes for an "art" house here...unfortunately "art" house means it is the oldest theater in town with uncomfortable seats, less that great sound, etc...at this point I am thinking "wait for the DVD"...That is of course the same theater where they are showing "Black Swan" and, oddly enough, "True Grit" which should certainly do well at one of the megaplexes.

And I did see it on Sunday. Colin Firth has indeed matured nicely, though it's unavoidable to notice (though I refused to let it bother me at all) that he looks (and is) older than Guy Pearce who plays his older brother (and is cast at about the right age).

Many other treats for those of us who like to recognize British actors, from "Oh, Anthony Andrews whom I haven't seen in years... he's held up well, hasn't he?" to "Ha! a reunion scene for Firth and Jennifer Ehle!" Also very nice to see Helena Bonham Carter, after so many eccentric zanies, play a subdued "normal" person so beautifully.

The whole situation around which the movie is based was totally unknown to me before, so that's a good thing too.

My wife says the movie is a convention for British actors wishing to do penance for all those made-for-the-colonies costume dramas of the past 20 years. I didn't even recognize Claire Bloom until the last shot of her in the movie, when that tell-tale lift of the corner her mouth made me go "Oh, duh." I'd vaguely known Geo VI had had a speech impediment of some kind, but I had no idea of the extent of it or how much anguish it caused the man.

Your wife may be right, Chris. We dragged our kids to see it ("Aw, Dad, a movie about a guy who stammers?"). The younger boy got restless before it ended but the older one really got into it. What a great performance by Colin Firth. He did more than just stammer, he had difficulty forming certain sounds. I believed it, every bit of it. I thought that more noticeable than the age difference between Firth and Guy Pearce was the fact that Firth doesn't have that long horsey Windsor face (Pearce does). But that's a minor matter. It's a grand movie.

One thing of interest to me is how clearly the movie reflected the change in attitude that's taken place toward the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. I was very young when "it" happened, but I remember hearing Edward's abdication speech on the radio. For years afterward his giving up a kingdom for the love of a woman was viewed (by many Americans, at least) as the ultimate romantic gesture.

But that changed. Now we tend to view Wallis Simpson not as the reason for Edward's abdication but the excuse for it. He wanted the perks of kingship unencumbered by the duties and responsibilities that go with the job. I've read that they were shocked when they learned they were to be exiled. They honestly thought they could go on living the regal life while someone else did all the work. The movie certainly showed no sympathy for Edward. The scene in which he broke down and cried on the Queen Mum's shoulder -- that was the behavior of a self-indulgent boy. Actually, he did the country a favor by quitting; give him credit for that.

I saw it last night and loved it. But I was a little dismayed to see how old Geoffrey Rush has grown. He's one of those actors I want to see go on forever. He was certainly spry enough in this movie.

This morning someone told me Colin Firth was a shoo-in for an Oscar for three reasons. One, to compensate for him being passed over for A Single Man last year. Two, it's just been announced that he's getting his star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Three, The King's Speech went into wide release so late in the year that his performance will be fresh in the minds of the voters. The omens are good.

Like Barbara I remember "the speech" and all the jokes I didn't really understand at the time about Mrs. Simpson. It was years later that I found out that she was a convenient excuse for Neville Chamberlain to get rid of a meddlesome sovereign....haven't seen the movie so I don't know if that aspect is mentioned.